Potato-digger



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. M. I. GONDERMADL POTATO BIGGER. No. 341,454. Patented May 11, 1886.

Ill/VENTOH ATTORNEY i W/T/VESSES:

(No Modem 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. M. I. OONDERMAN.

POTATO BIGGER ATTORNEY 5 I (rs! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTINI. CONDERMAN, OF HORNELLSVILLE, NEV YORK.

POTATO-DlGGER.

SPECIPICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 341,454, dated May 11, 1886.

Application filed October 5, 1885. SerialNo. 179,000. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN I. OONDER- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hornellsville, in the county of Steuben and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Diggers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to potatodiggers of that class'in which aseries of arms provided at their ends with scoops or diggers (said arms being actuated by gearing mounted upon the driving-wheel shaft) are employed, the object being to provide an apparatus that shall remove the potatoes from the hills, drop them into a rocking screen, where the dirt will be removed by agitation, and which shall be cheap, simple, durable, and effective.

The invention consists in certain features of construction hereinafter set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view, and Fig. 2 a substantially central longitudinal section taken on the line X X of Fig. 1, of a potato-digger constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 3 is a skeleton view in side elevation, certain parts being removed, illustrating the manner of throwing the diggers or scoops into and out of operation. Fig. 4 is a detail in perspective showing the scoop.

A represents an oblong frame, it being constructed with the side beams, A, and crossbeams or tie-bars A Mounted. upon a suitable axle, B at each side of the machine, is a ground-wheel, B B. Upon either or both of the wheels (in this in stance on the wheel B, or, if desired, it may be fixed to the axle 13",) is a sprocket-wheel, G, and interposed between the driving or ground wheels B B, at each side of the-machine and the side beams, A, is mounted a gear-wheel, D, which meshes with and operates a second similar gear, E, mounted upon an axle, F, said axle being mounted in hinged bearings G, affixed to the side beam, A, at a suitable distance in front of the wheel 13*.

Bigidly mounted upon the axle F, at the center thereof, is a hub, H, radiating from which is a series (in this instance three) of arms, H, rigidly secured thereto. The end of each of the arms H is provided with a scoop, I, which is preferably formed with the top and side pieces, I, the back portion, 1',

' bottom or screen )ortion l and the rearwardlyextending connecting-arms 1*, which are loosely pivoted to the arm H, as at I. From the top of the scoop there extends a projecting curved adjusting rod or bar, I, which passes through aslot, l, in the preceding arm, H, and by which means the scoop may be set and retained at different angles by stops or pins 1 1*. Vh'en the scoops are below the axis of the shaft F, they fall by gravity, so that the outer pin, 1 is brought into contact with the arm H, and by the same means, when the scoops are above said axis, the opposite pin, 1 is brought against the arm. Therefore in taking a load the free end of the scoop onters the ground, and in delivering a load said free end is depressed. At the front end of the machine there is mounted in suitable bearings an oscillating rock-shalt,'J, near each end of which is a rockarm, J, a segment, J", and a handle, J, having a spring-actuated bolt or pawl attached thereto, these devices being provided for oscillating said shaft. Extending from the rocloarm J to a swinging bearing, G, are chains or rods G As before stated, said axle is mounted in a swinging or movable bearing, G. This hearing consists of the bearing proper, G, which is movable or adapted to swing back and forth upon the pivots G in the fixed portion or bracket G This completes the construction of the front portion of the apparatus, and it now remains to describe the construction of the rear end.

Below the frame, and at the rear end of the machine, is hung an oscillating shaker or screen, K, which is divided into two compartments, K K", by means of screen-like partitions K K, the partition 11* being composed of strips or slats set nearer together than are the slats in the upperpartition, K. The partition is hung in position by means of pivoted hangers L, M,'and N, the hangers L being pivoted to the beams A, the hanger M to an arm, 0, extending from a crank-shaft, O, which is mounted 'in suitable bearings, 0', upon the frame-work A, and the hanger N being pivoted to a rock-arm, P, extending from a rockshaft, P, mounted in bearings at the end of the machine.

Mounted upon the crank-shaft O is a sprocket-wheel, O", of much less diameter than the sprocket-wheel O, to which it is connected by means of a chain, Q.

At one end of the rock-shaft P is fixed a segment, P and a spring-actuated operatinghandle, 1?", similar to the handle J, at the opposite end of the machine.

The operation of myinvention is as follows: As the wheels B B revolve the gear D is also revolved, which in turn revolves the gear E and its shaft F, which carries the diggers. The digging mechanism may be thrown into and out of operation by means of the handle J", as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the former showing it in and the latter out of operative position-that is to say, by pushing the handle J to the front, which may be done by releasing the spring-actuated holding-bolt, the rockshaft J will be turned and draw upon the chain or rope G", which will swing the gear E forward out of mesh with the gear D, and thus render said digger inoperative. As the diggeuarins H, carrying the scoops I, are caused to revolve by the beiore-descrihed gearing the scoops enter the hills under the potatoes and lift the same out of the ground, which are carried around until said scoops arrive immediately over the shaft F, when their contents are dropped into the shaker K. In the meantime, however, a considerable portion of the soil scooped up with the potatoes is sifted through the open bottom I of the scoop I. The shaker K receives motion from the crank-shaft O, which is rotated by the sprockets O C and connectingchain Q. As before stated, the shaker is provided with two bottoms or partitions. (lndicated by K K, respectively.) The strips of the bottom or partition K are set much wider apart than those of the partition K, so that as the potatoes are first re eeived from the scoops they fall upon the'partition or screen K, where the soil is removed by agitation and causes it to drop to the ground, and also causes the small or medium size potatoes to drop through the screen K" into the compartment K, where the cleaning process is continued.

From the above it will be seen that the potatoes, after being dug from the ground, are cleaned and then assorted into two compartments, the larger ones remaining in the upper compartment, and the smaller ones in the lower compartment. XVhen these compartments become filled, they may be easily emptied by throwing the handle P forwarthwhich operation turns the shaft 1?, lowering the arm 1?, and this in turn lowers the rear end of the screen by means of the hanger N. Now, it will be noticed that the rear end of the partition K extends beyond the rear end of the partition K so that when these ends are tilted down there will be formed two piles of potatoes, composed, respectively,of small and large size. If desired, however, the screens may be continuously depressed at their ends, so as to continuously deliver the potatoes from the shaker as the machine is moving.

The sprocket-wheels O and O are so timed and proportioned that the screen or shaker is oscillated and brought directly under the scoops at the time they deliver their contents, and are removed from the path of the scoops, so as not to be an obstruction to a continuous rotation of the scoops.

Having thus fully described my invention and its operation, what I claim is 1. In a potato-digger, a series of scoops pivotally mounted upon revolving arms, in combination with movable connecting-rods for limiting the oscillations of the scoops upon their pivots, substantially as specified.

2. In a potato-digger, a series of scoops pivotally mounted on revolving arms, and pivotally connected at their free ends with an adjacent arm, substantially as specified.

3. In a potato-digger, in combination with a series of scoops mounted upon revolving arms, a shaking screen and mechanism, substantially as described, for reciprocating the screen into and out of the path of the scoops, substantially as specified.

4, In a potato digger, revolving scoops mounted upon a shaft mounted in swinging hearings, in combination with mechanism, substantially as described, for raising said bearings, substantially as specified.

5. In apotato-digger, the combination,with the revoluble arms H, of scoops I, having arms I, pivoted, as at 1 connecting-rods I, having stops 1 substantially as specified.

6. In a potato-digger, the scoops I, comprising the imperforate portion 1, the slats 1 the arms 1*, in combination with the slotted arms H, and connecting-rods l, substantially as specified.

7. In a potato-digger, the combination of the ground-wheels B B, the sprockets C and O", the chain Q, crank-shaft 0, connectingrod 0, screen K, hangers L and M, with the shaft F, scoops I, rods 1, and gears D E, substantially as specified.

S. In a potato-digger, the combination of the shaker or screen K, thehanger L, pivoted to the frame-work and to the shaker, the crank M, rigidly secured to the shaker and pivot-ally connected with the crank-shal't,and the hanger N, pivoted to the shaker and to the rock-arm P, whereby the shaker may be agitated whether elevated or depressed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN I. CONDERMAN.

Vitnesses:

CHARLES W. STEVENS, CHARLES J. PATTEN. 

